


Caged Bird

by OrigamiLesbian



Category: Faking It (TV 2014)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:55:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25691650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrigamiLesbian/pseuds/OrigamiLesbian
Summary: Amy finally realized that her friendship with Karma is toxic and with the help of Lauren, she discovers who she is other than Karma's used-to-be best friend.
Relationships: Karma Ashcroft/Amy Raudenfeld, Lauren Cooper/Amy Raudenfeld
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

Amy couldn't find a reason why her first instinct was to search for the blonde after Karma once again pulled the world out from underneath her. She couldn't remember the journey home let alone to Lauren's door, too focused on keeping the sob that was settled in her chest from escaping. Holding her breath she knocked on the door loud enough to be heard from behind the door, but not enough to wake up her mother. In her peripherals she could see lights turning on from an under the door before she heard it unlock.

Lauren opened the door with a confused look in her eyes as she stared at Amy with her signature scowl. Immediately upon seeing the blonde Amy burst into sob, curling into herself and beginning to shake.

"I'm going to fucking kill Karma," Lauren whispered to herself as she escorted Amy into the warmth of her bedroom locking the door behind them. She quietly led Amy to the bed when Amy's knees buckled and she collapsed into Lauren's embrace. She remained quiet as Amy cried with snot dripping down her face. Surprisingly there were no remarks about ruining her shirt or disturbing the tiny blonde’s beauty sleep. Instead Lauren held her while Amy repeated how badly she hated loving Karma. Occasionally Lauren would move hair out of Amy's face and rub a comforting hand up and down the other woman's back. Amy’s broken heart consumed her mind to the point where she didn't over analyse how tender the popular girl was being.

Once Amy calmed down and relaxed against the girl, Lauren finally said what was on her mind. She released the girl to crouch down and look Amy in the face as she exhaled a long and heavy sigh.

"Look Amy, I'm going to tell you something you don't want to hear but it needs to be said." She waited for a response but when none came, she continued. "You have to stop giving Karma the power and a free range to hurt you. I know you say she's your soulmate or best friend or some bullshit, but she isn't treating you like a loved one should."

Amy stayed silent as she mulled over Lauren’s words. Karma always vocalized words of affirmation towards Amy, yet her actions repeatedly contridicted them. They always say that you hurt the ones you love the most, but if you really loved someone wouldn’t you do everything in your power not to hurt them? Granted Amy was no saint either, she drukenly slept with Liam Booker just to get back at Karma.

“I just want it to stop hurting.” Amy whispered after awhile. With a look of pure exhaustion Lauren pulled away and stood up from the floor to retrieve a tissue.

“Get your head out of your ass and stop letting her walk all over you. It’s pathetic how long yov’ve hidden behind her brute like shadow. Grow a fucking backbone and you'll realize that she isn’t the center of the damn universe.” Lauren said with a huff waving her hands around and walking towards her closet. A few seconds later she emerged carrying Amy’s infamous donut shirt in hand. “Here. Farrah must have gotten our laundry mixed up.” Lauren sighed. She turned off the bedroom lights and walked over to her bed without uttering another word.

Amy picked herself off Lauren’s floor and walked into the bathroom. Refusing to look at her reflection in the mirror, she busied herself with washing her tear stained face. The cold water silenced the mess inside her head and she inhaled the sweet smelling soap. Drying her face she began to strip out of her constricting clothes, allowing them to pool at her ankles and make a pile on the pristine floor. She pulled on her donut shirt over her head, barely noticing the smell of Lauren that seemed to be woven into the fabric.

She braved a look into the mirror and was met with a hollow version of herself. Her eyes were puffy and red rimmed. Her neck and face had spots of red flush from her body overheating as she cried. Needless to say, she looked like shit. Too exhausted to do anything else Amy numbly walked towards her room and fell into her welcoming bed, not bothering to close the door. Within minutes Amy succumbed to the bliss of sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

7 am on the dot Lauren burst into her room scaring Amy awake. The bright morning sun burning Amy’s corneas making her duck underneath the sheets. She tried to focus on clearing the sleep induced fog from her mind and ignored whatever the fuck Lauren was saying.

"Get up! Karma is currently camped out on our porch like some god damn hippy protester so you better get rid of her. I got shit to do today and I'm not letting your dumbass of heart ruin it." She ripped the blankets off of Amy, exposing her to the cold air. 

"Fuck off!" Amy yelled trying to sound as menacing as she could while trying to cover herself back up. Lauren scoffed in response and walked over to the bed with purpose.

“Look Raudenfield, my perfect ass got woken up at 2am, so dont test me. Do you really want to get over Karma or were you just wasting my fucking time?” Amy looked up at Lauren’s face with uncertainty. Her mind replayed the events from the night before. Karma’s long winded speech about how she loves Amy more than anyone and will do better. Cut to Karma and Felix sucking face in the garden. Amy completely shutting down and walking away from the redhead, ignoring the desperate attempts to explain.

"I'm done Lauren. Really." she said trying to convey how serious she was about the matter. The popular girl held her stare for a few moments, raising her perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"Good. Get dressed and handle you shit, we're having breakfast in 20 minutes. Oh and if you leave your dirty ass clothes on the floor one more time, I'll slaughter you in your sleep." Lauren threatened before she exited the room in a pastel colored blur.

With an exaggerated sigh, Amy reluctantly removed herself from the safety of her bed and walked over to her closet. Too drained to think about the doom waiting for her down stairs, she focused on getting ready for the day. Grabbing her favorite pair of skinny jeans and a maroon sweater she walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

15 minutes later Amy walked down stairs feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Deciding that the doom could wait until after breakfast, she rounded the corner into the kitchen and sat down.

“I assumed this morning was more of a comfort food type of morning.” Amy’s mother Farrah explained when her daughter sat down at the table. She looked at her daughter with worry evident in her eyes.

“Karma and I aren’t friends anymore.” Amy whispered with her eyes glued to her empty plate.

“Well its a good thing she doesn’t have a key to the house then,” Bruce laughed while throwing a wink at Amy trying to lighten the mood.

“Amy caught Karma sucking face with one of her friends, which after this year was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Lauren offered as an explanation. She took Amy’s plate and filled it with french toast, bacon, sausage, and set it down in front of the quiet girl. Bruce raised an eyebrow at his wife during the interaction between the two girls. It was a rarity to see the teenagers get along so the moment was nothing short of a mirical.

“What do you mean after what happened this year?” Farrah asked walking over to Amy and placing her hands on her shoulders as a sign of comfort. The weather-woman began to play with her daughter's soft blonde hair.

Lauren hesitated to answer but when Amy looked up and nodded her head, she chose to lay it all out there. Rip it off like the cheap and dramatic bandaid that it was.

“Well Karma outed Amy to the whole school before she was ready, used Amy as a cover to sneak around with her dumbass boyfriend, made millions of copies of her diary and spread it around the whole fucking school, and still had the audacity to try to claime herself as the victim in the whole situation.” Lauren explained while making herself a bowl of yogurt, complete with fruit and granola.

Farrah was quiet for a few moments before abruptly walking out of the dining room and over to the front door. Without warning she opened the door which Karma was leaning against and took a step back as the girl fell to the floor. She stood poised and patient while Karma stood up and searched Farrah’s eyes for some sort of explanation.

“Karma dear, it's time for you to leave. I don't appreciate you camping out on our property to try and ambush Amy. I don't want you calling the house phone or dropping by for an unexpected visit either. If my daughter wishes to hear what you have to say, then she will reach out. Until then, I suggest you respect her wishes." Farrah commanded while ushering Karma out the door. She closed the door and locked it without allowing the girl a chance to respond.

Farrah sat at the table and began a conversation with her husband about the upcoming events, successfully changing the conversation and allowing her daughter some peace. It was a small step to mend the broken relationship between the two, but Amy appreciated it all the same. She chanced a look over to Lauren whose eyes were glued to her phone. 

"Daddy we have to leave in an hour if we are going to beat traffic on our way to Auntie Maybell's." Lauren mentioned to her father over her phone. Bruce closed his eyes and threw a hand to his face.

"Crap Babygirl, I totally forgot we had planned a trip to tennessee this week. Jack is sick and took the week off, so I picked up some overtime at the office." Bruce explained wincing at his daughter’s look of displeasure. Lauren slammed her phone down on the table and shot her father a death glare.

"You what!? But Daddy, grandma hasn't seen you in years and you were going to help drive!"

"Well maybe Amy can go with you? Sounds like she could use an escape right now." Her father responded with a practice look of obliviousness. Piercing blue eyes flashed over to Amy like a deer caught in headlights. A long pause filled the dinning room with palpable tension as Amy considered her options. It would give her the space she needed to get away from her drama filled Karma problem, but going on a long road trip with the spawn of satan sounded like a new version of torture.

“As long as Lauren is okay with it I guess.” Amy said lamely.

“Be ready in an hour or I’m leaving your ass here.” was all Lauren said before she stomped upstairs and ended the conversation. Amy quickly began stuffing her face with her breakfast not wanting to miss the deadline.

It only took Amy 45 minutes to pack everything she would need for a 3 week trip to visit Lauren’s family. It would have taken longer if it wasn't for the petite blondes help, and by help she meant completely take over. She honestly had no idea what was inside her suitcases at this point, but at least they both were on their way to Tennessee.

Lauren took the first shift of driving, which was fantastic because she was a lot more agressive of a driver than Amy was. If Amy drove first they would have no doubt been stuck in traffic, or worse engaged in a roadside brawl fueled by Lauren's backseat driving.

Instead the girls settled on listening to a podcast while Lauren wove between the sea of commuters, and Amy thumbed through a magazine about marine biology. She was halfway through an article about coral reefs when she finally gathered up the courage to ask the other blonde the question that has been bubbling up in her mind since the moment Lauren agreed Amy tagged along on this trip.

"Why did you agree to let me go on this trip with you?"

Lauren sighed heavily and turned the volume down and glanced at Amy. Her perfectly manicured hands gripping the sterring wheel a little tighter. Amy struggled not to fidget from frustration as she waited for a response. She was just about to give up and continue reading her magazine, when the other girl finally spoke up.

"Liam cheated on me." She began slowly." And honestly I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as how he started a fucking secret affair with a woman who was supposedly in a lesbian relationship at the time.." Lauren quickly maneuvered around a minivan that was going under the speed limit and flipped them off in the rearview mirror before continuing.

"But when I saw him kissing that girl from his work, I thought to myself, 'Wow. This is the 3rd person who has fucked me over.' First Tommy, then Anthony, and now Liam fucking Booker? It's not like I wanted to become Mrs. Booker or anything but still! I'm just so goddamn tired of it all. I'm tired of being juggling being the perfect daughter, student, and being the Head Bitch In Charge of Hester HIgh. Obviously it's not benefiting me in anyway, so I just needed to get away and figure out who I am as a proud intersex woman. Whenever I'm feeling lost, Daddy tells me to go visit my family and when he bailed I figured you could use the break from life as well." Lauren explained with a shrug. She didn't look over at Amy at all during her speech; the road being easier to confess to rather than the other blonde.

Amy turned away and stared out the window at the horizon. The cars continued to pass by with blurred faces as she digested the woman's confession. Amy witnessed first hand the disasters left behind in the wake of Lauren’s ex boyfriends, yet it didnt even occur to her to ask how Lauren was dealing with it all. Of course their first few months of cohabitation were filled with bitchy remarks and rude gestures, but somehwere down the line their interactions became less hateful and more…..meaningful? vulnerable? Had Amy been so dense not have noticed that Lauren had began to open up to her?

"Thanks." She whispered to the road. She stretched inside the confined space and opened up her magazine again. She decided to put more effort into getting to know the other girl, let her know that she doesn’t have to go through any of this alone anymore. "Liam is a bad lay anyways." She stated as she thumbed through the article again and continued reading. The corners of Lauren’s mouth slightly turned upwards and she turned the volume of the podcast back up. If Amy saw her wipe the tear away from her cheek, she didn't mention anything.


	3. Chapter 3

8 hours and 2 bathroom breaks later the two women pulled up to the hotel to call it a night. Amy practically jumped out of the car after Lauren parked. She was more than thankful for the chance to stretch her legs after being cramped in the car for 8 hours. Walking around towards the back of the vehicle she helped Lauren take out the suitcases.

“We’ll stay the night here and head out first thing in the morning.” Lauren instructed, “As long as we stay on schedule we should get to Auntie Maybell’s around lunchtime tomorrow.”

“Aye Aye Captain.” Amy said with a mock salute. Lauren rolled her eyes and called the girl a moron before walking towards the entrance of the hotel. Amy followed close behind wondering the whole time how Lauren drove with her heels on.

Their room was humble with two queen beds and a fully stocked minibar. The shorter blonde threw her bags onto one of the beds and strutted over to the minibar. She picked out a small bottle of tequila, popped the cap off, and threw it back without so much as wince as the liquor burned its way down. Amy stared at her with her mouth agape and eyebrows near her hairline. The other woman looked over and shrugged.

“What? I used Daddy’s credit card to get the room. Its just us and the damn hotel wont know the difference.” 

Amy smirked and placed her bags near the unoccupied bed and walked over to the minibar to grab herself a drink as well. Lauren smiled mischiviously and walked into the bathroom. A little while later Amy could hear the shower turn on, so she turned on the TV and searched for something decent to watch.

Lauren emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel smelling of roses and vanilla. She grabbed another bottle of tequila and downed it before fixing Amy with a stern stare.

"You're not going to wallow in self pitty at all during this trip are you? Because I wouldn’t have agreed to you coming along had I considered that."

Amy looked over at the blonde trying not to visually gawk at the water droplets trailing down the girls collar bone. Yup she was definitely a lesbian she thought to herself. Blaming the alcohol on why she kept getting distracted by the tiny trails of water, she let herself admire the shorter girls form for a few moments before responding.

"No you were right last night. I need to cut loose and figure out who I am without Karma. She has been attached to my hip since we were kids and honestly I'm so over it. I cant keep doing this to myself." Amy sighed. She looked up to meet the girl’s eyes and was met by soft smirk.

"Good, because Aunt Maybell is a lot of fun and if you play your cards right, you might even get some on this trip." Lauren laughed. Not expecting a remark like that, Amy started choking on her own spit.

"Excuse me!?" Amy coughed reaching over to the nightstand to get her bottled water.

Still laughing, Lauren rolled her eyes and walked over to the bathroom again, leaving the door open so the girls could continue their conversation.

"Lets just say this side of the family is full of Liberals who enjoy their vices. I have made a few bad choices myself while visiting my Aunt. Thankfully they also keep quiet about it.”

"Does Bruce know that his little angel is actually a bad influence?" Amy calle, glacing back to the TV and continued channel surfing.

"You have no idea and no. We’re going to keep it that way otherwise I’m going to make it my life’s purpose to destroy you." Lauren responded as she exited the bathroom wearing a pair of booty shorts and a baggy t-shirt. Amy couldn't help but think how soft the other girl’s skin looked. Lauren might be shorter than her, but she had legs for days and a nice ass from dancing. A rush of heat flooded Amy's veins causing her to look away and blush. Thankfully Lauren paid no attention to Amy while she rubbed lotion into her skin.

"Well I'm going to bed. I must be a light weight because that one drink has already gone to my head." Amy chuckled. She climbed under the sheets and rolled away from the blonde. Grabbing her phone she saw a picture of Karma staring back at her smiling. It was a picture taken by the redhead herself when she got her hair done at the beginning of summer. Amy made it her wallpaper without a second thought, but now it seemed out of place. Opening up her gallery she scrolled though her pictures and searched for a replacement. She settled on picture of some random lake that Shane sent her a few days ago. He was spending the summer at his parents lake house and sent Amy a picture of the property ‘just in case he got murdered in the woods and no one knew where they were.’

While searching for a new background photo it became apparent to Amy how many pictures of Karma she had on her phone, so she decided to delete them all. A small step towards living a life without Karma right? Amy was just about done purging all the pictures of the redhead from her phone when Lauren turned off the lights. Amy closed her eyes and fell asleep to the thoughts of meeting Lauren’s family. 

The next morning the girls were checked out of the hotel and on the road by dawn. Surprisingly Lauren bought Amy a coffee and let her drive the rest of the way to her Aunt's house. It took until about Nashville for Amy to notice that Lauren's appearance was visibly softer than normal. The bold mascara and heavy makeup was gone, taking the tight and preppy outfits with it. Instead Lauren sat beside sipping her coffee wearing a simple pair of dark skinny jeans and an elegant maroon long sleeve shirt. Her long blonde hair french braided down and over her right shoulder. Of course she wouldn't walk out into public without wearing make-up, it was just softer. Amy couldn't help but think that the outfit made the girl seem older and more approachable. Warmer.

"I didn't even know you owned a pair of jeans," Amy said, eyes flashing back to the winding road in front of her. 

"Fuck off," Lauren scoffed while adjusting her posture in the passenger seat. 

"Chill Ice Queen." Amy sighed," I just meant you looked nice." Amy could see Lauren turn to look at her in the corner of her eye. Her body language seeming to relax a little bit before she turned away. 

"Yeah, well you would look nice too if you put a little effort in.”


	4. Chapter 4

The GPS notified them that they were going to arrive at Aunt Maybell's house in approximately 10 minutes. Amy's left leg began to bounce up and down in an attempt to ease the nervousness she felt. Amy's slight social anxiety made it difficult for her to meet new people. It didn't help that she's known just about everyone in her life since birth, well aside for Lauren and her father Bruce. She tried to remember the first time she met Karma's parents all those years ago. She couldn't recall the exact moment she met them since she was around 6 when it happened. It was almost as if they had always been a part of her life.

Lauren was right, Amy had no idea who she was without the redhead in her life. Without her really realizing it, she somehow let Karma dictate every aspect of her life. Karma had her hands in her social circle, in her work ethic, what hobbies she enjoyed, she even had a hand in who she lost her virginity too! Granted she was only involved with that since she broke both hers and Liam's hearts that night. Amy's fucking life revolved around the redhead, and the worst part was that she couldn't blame everything on Karma. How was the redhead supposed to know she was crossing friendly boundaries, when Amy made it so easy for her?

Thankfully her mother stepped in to make a clear boundary for Karma to back off, otherwise there would no doubt be 50 or so texts on her phone plus countless voicemails. Her poor phone battery wouldn't have even stood a chance against Karma's persistency. 

"So, is there anything I should know about your family before I meet them?" Amy questioned trying to clear her mind from the redhead and turning onto the next street. her leg continues to bounce.

"Don't bring up politics unless you want to hear a heated debate between Uncle Hunter and Uncle Bob and I have 8 younger cousins over here, so try not to curse in front of them. Other than that, no." Lauren informed her as they pulled into the driveway of a big yellow house.

Amy barely had enough time to turn off the engine before there was a swarm of children running up to the car screaming Lauren's name. Glancing over she could see Lauren break out into a full smile before she exited the car. WIth her arms stretched out she crouched down so all the kids could crash into her at once, the force causing the pile of giggling body to fall to the lawn.

Reluctantly Amy exited the SUV and walked to the back to get the luggage out and allow Lauren a moment alone with her family. She didn't get very far before a tall bald man with a mustache snuck around the corner and took the suitcases from her hand.

"Darling let me get these for you. I'm Uncle Hunter, you must be Amy. I'm so glad you were able to make it out to see us." He said with a brilliant smile and a wink. He started walking away with the luggage, so Amy slowly made her way over to where Lauren was.

"Amy these are my cousins. This is Marina, Natalie, Issac, Ricky, Lucy, Zane, Lincoln, and Collins." She listed off pointing to jumping children with toothless smiles. Suddenly they all ran to hug Amy at once just like they did with Lauren. She laughed as all the children talked over each other trying to get her attention.

“Come on, let's go inside and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the family.” Lauren laughed as she picked up one of the smaller children and placed them on her hip. WIth a deep breath, she followed Lauren into the house with the children still hanging all over her.

After meeting Aunt Maybell, Uncle Bob, Lauren’s grandmother, and Aunt Angie, Lauren showed Amy to the room she would be staying in for the next two weeks. The house was big enough for both girls to have their own rooms with attaching bathrooms. Amy’s bags were already placed neatly on the bed. Lauren told her that she was going to freshen up for lunch but would meet Amy in the kitchen in a few minutes. 

The room Amy would call home was a pretty standard guest room. There was a big and fluffy queen sized bed on one side of the room, A dresser and TV on the other side of the room, and a beautiful view of the Mountains outside the window. Smiling to herself, Amy started unpacking her bags and placed her clothes in dresser. Once she was done unpacking, she grabbed her phone to text her mother that they made it there safe and that she would talk to her in a few days. A loud ring filling the room as she received a text.

Karma 2:32pm: I miss you.

Amy stared at the message for a moment before she exited out of the app and set her phone on the nightstand. She should have figured Karma wouldn’t be able to go more than 48 hours without falling into old habits. Boundaries be damned. 


	5. Chapter 5

After lunch everyone decided to go for a swim in the backyard pool. Amy noticed how carefree Lauren was around her family. It was almost an exact opposite of how she acted back home in Texas. Back home every minute of the day was carefully planned to get the most out of every hour. Either she had dance practice, pageants, student council, studying, social events, and even chores. There was no time to relax, let alone think with a schedule like that. Amy wondered if she purposefully made her schedule that busy for precisely that reason.

Surrounded by her family, Lauren was all easy smiles and light conversation. When Amy saw her little cousins slowly creep up behind the lawn chair Lauren was sitting at with suspicious smiles and brightly colored water pistols, she prepared herself for an appearance of the Ice Queen. Surprisingly when the children shot cold water at her arm, Lauren threw her head back with a laugh and bolted out of the chair to chase the kids around the yard. 

Amy smiled as the kids screamed and scattered away once Lauren found a water gun of her own. The yard full of giggles while Lauren threatened to get them all. Once her clothes were soaked and she was out of breath, Lauren made her way back to her empty chair with a care free smile on her face.

Her blue eyes shined at Amy for a second before her carefree smile turned into a victorious one. A confused look bunched up Amy’s features until she felt cold water getting dumped over her back, causing her to yelp out of her own chair. She could hear Lauren laughing next to her as the children high fived the smaller woman and quickly took refuge into the pool. 

“You looked like you were thinking too hard.” Was all the girl gave as an explanation before getting up to fetch them both towels to dry off with. With a smile of her own, Amy shook her head and swore she would get the girl back before the end of the trip.

…………………….

The past few days at Lauren's Aunt Maybell's seemed extremely low key compared to tonight. This evening all the little cousins were spending the night at their other grandma’s house, which meant the adults were finally able to let loose. Apparently the Aunts and Uncles didn’t mind a little underage drinking since they personally made sure that the girls cups were filled.

This is how Amy found herself a little buzzed and attempting to listen to Uncle Hunter explain how to play Texas Holdem. According to Grandma Mae it was important for the girls to learn how to bluff properly so they could take on the ‘real world.’

“So Amy,” Aunt Maybell smiled,”With a face like that, you must have all the boys falling to their knees.” Amy’s eyes went wide and her hands began to sweat. She had sucessfully avoided outing herself the last 3 days. She took a deep breath and felt all the family member's eyes on her as she began to say, “Um, well you see..”

“Amy is a lesbian,” Lauren casually interupted while looking up from her cards. Amy’s breath remained rooted in her lungs as she felt the panic creep into her senses. Well no going back now. Lauren smiled at the look of pure delight painted across her Aunt’s face.

“Oh I had no idea! That’s wonderful to hear dear. Men are pigs anyways.” Aunt Maybell shook her head and threw her cards down signaling she was folding. Amy released the breathe she was holding and slowly wiped the sweat off her palms against her leg.

“Woman! I’m right here!” Uncle Hunter said sternly, pretending to be insulted by his wife’s comment. 

“Yeah and you’re a pig too.” She winked back at her husband. Other family members folded their hands as well, all going back to their previous conversations with each other. Relief washed over Amy and she briefly wondered if this was how coming out was supposed to be. She was greatful that Lauren’s family reacted as if her homosexuality was no big deal. She realized this was the first time her coming out was treated warmly. No shocked gasps or sideways glances. No questions about whether or not she was sure about this. It was if they knew that being gay didnt all the sudden change who Amy was. She looked up and saw Lauren chewing her lip, staring back at her as if she were trying to decide something.

“Boys are douchebags. Maybe I should see what women could offer too." Lauren mentioned offhandedly. Amy scoffed and dismissed her comment with a "Yeah right."

"I'm serious dumbass! What, you think I care whats in someone’s pants? I know gender doesn't mean shit when it comes to love. As long as they can keep up with me, the could be fucking ken doll down there." Lauren finished with a shrug as if she didn’t just come out to her step-sister let alone her whole fucking family. 

"Amen!" Her grandma laughed from somewhere in the back. Amy just stared at her stepsister like she grew a second head. She began to thoroughly search back in her memories for all the reasons why Lauren was full of shit right now. 

"Alright ladies, time to call it or fold." Uncle Hunter smiled, adding more chips to the center pile. Lauren stared at Amy with a look of pure intimidation but Amy didn't back down. She was getting good at calling out Lauren's shit and this was her time to shine. She studied how the blonde held herself, how she cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at her. Daring her to call her bluff, but Amy has seen that look before. It was an unspoken challenge and Amy found herself unable to look away.

“I’m all in.” Amy spoke with confidence as she pushed all her chips in. A part of her worried that she just fell into the other girl’s trap. Lauren’s smile was preditory as she pushed all her chips in as well. The whole kitchen was quiet as Amy threw down a three of a kind. A brief pause to build the suspence the Lauren threw down a Straight. She winked at Amy and collected all the chips while the whole kitchen erupted in laughter and cheers. the irony of Lauren’s cards wasn’t lost on Amy.


	6. Chapter 6

Amy was humming along to the old beat up radio as she washed the dishes in the kitchen. Lauren’s Aunts and Uncles decided to call it a night after losing all their money to Lauren. Amy thought about the other girls confession at the table hours before. Although it was surprising, it made sense that Lauren wouldn’t care about the genitals of whoever she dated. Afterall she was intersex and realized that gender didn’t define another person.

She thought back to Lauren’s reaction to her coming out. Sure she didn’t react the greatest, but all her anger seemed to be targeted at the fact that she thought Amy was faking it the entire time. Once she came to the conclusion that Amy was actually questioning her sexuality, the anger went away. She was still demanding and annoying, always calling Amy names and being all around generally difficult, but she acted that way before Amy came out. Maybe it was her way of showing the other girl that her being gay didn’t change anything.

It took some time for Amy to realize that Lauren wasn’t pure evil at all. It was just the girl’s way to keep everyone at an arms length and keep her walls up. After everything that happened in her life, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Lauren hated being vulnerable. And yet Amy somehow continued to see the moments while Lauren seemed to be too exhausted to keep the walls up any longer. 

She was there when Lauren broke down when she thought Tommy was going to tell her secret to the whole school. She saw the look in Lauren’s eye when she offered cake and condolences the night of their parent's wedding, just before she confessed that her and Tommy broke up. She saw how devastated Lauren was when she found out the truth about Anthony. The blonde even told her about Laim’s infidelity! TIme and time again, Amy was granted a peek around the curtain of who Lauren really was. Each time she unknowingly proved to the smaller girl that she would be able to hold space for her if need be. 

Lauren entered the kitchen just as Amy was finishing up the dishes. She silently grabbed a towel and started to out away the dishes, showing Amy where each item went. She was wearing an oversized hoodie that ended slightly above the hemline of her dasie-duke shorts. Her perfect blonde hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail and Amy could see a mean sunburn on the back of the girls neck. She liked seeing the popular girl this way, effortlessly beautiful and so different from the typical barbie doll appearance she put on for everyone else.

“What are you smiling about, did you finally come up with a way to stop the effects of mass fishing or something?” Lauren qwiped while looking at Amy with an eyebrow raised. Her blue eyes shined brighter with the faint sunburn on her cheeks. A warm feeling filled Amy’s chest as she began to help dry the dishes as well.

“I like this new look you have here.” Amy said as she handed Lauren a dry plate to put away. “Don’t get me wrong, you pull of the whole pastel barbie doll thing really well it's just- you seem more genuine and realistic like this.” She pulled at the baggy sleeve hanging off Lauren’s petite frame for emphasis.

“Chill it's just a sweater moron.”

Amy chuckled at the pointed look Lauren gave her. “No it’s so much more than that. I’ve seen you laugh more this past week than I have in the 2 years that we have lived together. The way your eyes light up when you play with your little cousins or how carefree you are talking to your aunts and uncles? It’s like this completely different side of Lauren Cooper! You’re so relaxed and full of easy smiles and warmth, I guess I never noticed how stressed out you were.”

Lauren finished up putting away the clean dishes in silence and Amy was about to apologize for her babbling when Lauren shrugged, “You never asked.” Once again Amy felt guilty how self absorbed she had been so far in highschool.

“So what do you think of the family?” Lauren asked her while leaning against the counter, crossing her arms and looked back at Amy attentively. The taller girl was thankful for the change in subject.

“They seem so different from Bruce.” Amy thought truthfully. Bruce was a nice guy and all but he seemed too uptight and stuffy sometimes. He was the kind of guy who’s idea of a fun time was to go golfing. She couldn’t picture him here with children running around him and acting silly

“That’s because this is my mom’s side of the family.” Lauren explained. “Aunt Maybell and Uncle Bob are her siblings.” 

It made sense now why the family seemed so different than Bruce. Now that she knew, she could see the similarities Lauren, Aunt Maybell, and Uncle Bob have. They all threw their head back as they belly laughed, they all stuck their tongue out when consentrating, and each one has a fierce passion and deep moral code. The thought made a soft smile stretch across her face. “Huh.”

“Are you tired at all?” Lauren asked her once they finished doing all the dishes and wiped down all the tables. Amy looked at the time on the clock and saw that it was 11 oclock.

“Not really, What do you have in mind?” Amy shrugged.

“Dancing.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things gets spicy.

Lauren dragged Amy through the maze of a basement in the apparent abandoned office building. The bass of the music growing louder with every turn, matching the thumping in her ribcage. She released the death grip on her elbow to push open a metal door, unveiling an incredible view of a sea of bodies pulsating to the beat as one. The room was electrified with neon lights dancing across the figures in random patterns. A group of DJ's towered across the endless group of dancers hyping up the paerty. There were groups of people dancing in cages hanging from the ceilings, all getting lost in the music and paying no attention to the world around them. 

Lauren let Amy soak it all in before shouting a "Lets go." over the music and dragging Amy into the pile of bodies on the dance floor. Anxiety washed over her as she brushed against strangers, only lauren's grip grounding her while they made their way towards the center. Once Lauren found a decent spot to dance she turned around to face Amy, rolling her eyes at the look of horror on her face. "Fucking Relax." she yelled near Amy's ear. 

"I don't know how to dance to music like this!" Amy yelled in response, eyes flickering to the people around them all wrapped up in one another. The EDM created a blanket around the room, enveloping everyone in an almost toxic state of ecstasy. "Fucking useless Lesbian!" Lauren yelled back. A pair of small hands grabbed Amy's and a warm solid body pressed against her front. "Follow my lead, and try to keep up." With her hands on top of Amy's and forcing her hands to grip her hips, Lauren pushed her ass into her pelvis and started to sway to the music. At first Amy struggled to match Lauren's movements, too busy focusing on how this was NOT how stepsisters danced with each other. 

Lauren must have noticed her hesitancy because she fully leaned into Amy's body and turned her head to yell, "Get the fuck out of your head and dance with me!" Taking a deep breath she focused on the blonde's hips and how they were locked into hers. The shorter woman was so close she practically moved the pair herself, all Amy had to do was relax into her and succumb to the push and pull the other girl provided. She leaned into the woman in front of her and whispered, "Doesn't dancing with me like this defeat the purpose of finding someone to flirt with?" Her lips gently grazed the blonde's ear as she spoke, and she tried to ignore how Lauren's fingers flexed against her hands, gripping them tighter in the process.

"Do you ever shut the fuck up!?” 

The tempo of the beat picked up and Lauren adjusted their speed as if she expected it. She swayed with Lauren, feeling the demanding girl begin to grind into her sturdy body. Lauren was right, she needed to stop thinking so much, Lauren wasn't making a big deal out of this and neither should she. She pressed her body firmer into the girl, and she responded by moving her hair to one side and pushing back into Amy.

Amy could smell the sweat mix with Lauren's perfume radiating off her neck. The firm grind of the blonde's ass pushing a sharp exhale out of the taller girl. Her breath cooling off the persperation on the woman's collarbone. Lauren snaked a hand up and gripped Amy by the back of her neck, nails soft scratching at the base of her skull. She rested the back of her head against the taller woman's shoulder and let herself get lost in the music and attention. Occasionally Amy's lips would graze the side of Lauren's neck as she grinded into her, eyes closed she could feel the faintest pressure of Lauren's hand at her neck pulling her further in. 

Electricity settled deep inside her stomach and she licked her lips to wet her dry mouth. She tasted the salt on her lips, and nails at the base of her neck dug deeper. Deciding to let go and take a chance, she pressed her lips fully to the tendon below and Amy could feel Lauren's sharp intake of air at the action. Lauren's hand keeping Amy in place she extended more of her neck to Amy in silent permission.

The kisses and nips becoming more delibrate as the music echoed over them. She moved her mouth up and licked the shell of Lauren's ear, exhaling a soft whimper when the girls ass hit a certain spot. Suddenly Lauren turned around and faced Amy with wild eyes, pubils blown wide and hair tussled. Stepping back into the girls personal space, she brought her mouth to Amy's ear while wrapping a hand into her hair again.

"There you go. Relax." her soft lips brushing Amy's ear as she spoke. Amy's body felt feverish with the smaller girls breasts pressed against her front and a firm leg between her own. For a moment they continued dancing like that, sharing the same air. Lauren's other hand fisted the material of Amy's tank top like she was holding on for dear life.

"Is this okay?" Amy breathed against her.

"It's not like we're actually related," was all she got in response before she felt Lauren's teeth bite down on her earlobe. Warmth flooded down to Amy's groin and she pushed blonde's hips against her leg. Lauren released a filthy moan at the friction and then the heat was gone. Lauren pushed Amy away by the chest and gave the other woman a radiant smile. "Come on, it's getting late. We should head home."

The drive back was quiet but the tension was thick. Amy buzzed with energy, feeling incredibly wound up. Lauren looked relaxed and free as she drove them down back roads, having no intention on talking about what happened at the dance club. She just threw a casual " G'night," at Amy before strutting into the guest bedroom and leaving an extremely turned on Amy in her wake. 

It took Amy over 30 minutes before she found herself knocking on Lauren's door with a speech prepared about how she couldn't fuck with her like that just because she's gay. But as Lauren opened the door wearing only a familiar donut shirt and a pair of pink panties, all thoughts completely left her mind.

"What?" Lauren asked, crossing her arms and waiting. Amy just baulked at her. Why would Lauren be wearing her donut shirt when she repeatedly told Amy how dumb and ugly it was everytime Amy wore it?

"That's...my shirt." she replied dumbly. A slow smirk formed on Lauren's face and she shrugged before looking down at her perfectly manicured nails, "Must have gotten mixed up in the laundry again." It dawned on her that Lauren gave her that exact explanation before when she handed over the shirt to a tear stained Amy days prior. How did it even find it's way back into Lauren's possession? Amy was sure she left in the dirty laundry back home.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind Amy surged forward and kissed the smirk right off Lauren's lips, feeling the girls immediate reciprocation. The door slammed closed as Lauren pushed Amy's body against it, assaulting her mouth with her tongue. Lauren's dominance didnt surprise Amy at all, seeing as how she has personally seen Lauren fucking destroy presentations and arguements alike with that same tongue.

Amy's head was swimming as the shorter girl sucked on her tongue and swallowed the moan that escaped her throat. Amy lifted the woman with ease, almost losing focus at the feel of the woman's legs wrapped around her waist. Lauren responded by fisting her hands in the other woman's hair as she felt herself being carried towards the bed.

Amy could feel Lauren start a slow grind against her stomach as she devoured her mouth claiming dominance over the taller woman. Breaking the kiss, Amy threw Lauren onto her bed and pushed the hair out of her face as she attempted to catch her breath. A wild look flashed across lauren's face as she bounced on the mattress from Amy's clear show of strength.

“Wait-Wait.” She gasped as she walked closer to the bed towards an equally destroyed Lauren. “Shouldn’t we stop?”

Amy’s thighs brushed against the edge of the bed and her fingers buzzed with the need to touch the blonde again. In porn-star like fasion, Lauren crawled towards Amy with pupils blown and chest heaving.

"We can stop if you're not comfortable with this." Lauren said with a steady voice as she reached Amy at the edge of the bed. She sat on her heels and remained close but made sure to not physically touch Amy. The smaller woman's posture looked similar to how someone would kneel when they were begging. The image of Lauren on her knees for her sent a wave of heat straight to her groin. Amy took a deep breath and cursed her brain to think clearly.

"Have you ever done this before?"

Lauren cocked her head and leaned back to rest her weight on her arms. " I'm not a virgin if that's what you're asking." Amy could see the petite blonde's nipples peaking through the thin fabric of the donut shirt. The smaller girl continued to be patient as Amy listed off every reason why this was a bad idea in her head.

"Are you sure?" Was all Amy could come up with in conclusion to her mental argument. 

Lauren took in Amy's appearance for the first time since their heated makeout session. The taller woman's hair was a mess, her lips were swollen, and her black tank top was wrinkled and hanging off her shoulder. She looked wrecked.

"Yes I am sure I am no longer a virgin Amy." Lauren deadpanned with her signature eye roll." Look you have my consent, so please make up your mind because if you don't want to do this I'm going to need you to go so I can take care of myself."

Lauren rolled over on her hands and knees with her back facing Amy as she crawled up to the head of the bed. The movement gave Amy the perfect view of Lauren's toned ass and how well the pale pink panties fit her. A visible wet spot darkening her panties but disappeared as Lauren turned over and laid against the pillows waiting for Amy's decision. As if there even was a choice.

Feeling extremely over heated Amy unzipped her jeans and slid them down her legs. Her eyes connecting with Lauren's when they pooled at her ankles and she stepped out of them and onto the bed. With her chin up in defiance, Lauren's legs slid open as Amy slotted herself between them. Lauren released a quiet whimper as soon as she could feel Amy's strong thighs pressed into the back of her own.

Amy placed her arms near the sides of Lauren's head while lowering her body to begin kissing up the other girl's neck. As soon as Lauren felt hot open mouth kissed trailing up her throat, she snaked her hands beneath Amy's shirt and dug her nails into the flesh she found there. She was already so wound up. Amy's hips pressed into Lauren's in response, causing the short blonde's legs to open wider. Wanting to speed things up, Lauren bunched up Amy's shirt to pull over her head. Amy leaned up to pull her shirt off herself, and Lauren's mouth fell open upon seeing the woman's toned stomach and plump breasts straining against a maroon bra.

"God, you're like stupid hot without even trying!" Lauren huffed in annoyance. Amy blushed at the unexpected compliment and used her shaky fingers to take off her bra, leaving her only in panties. A pair of blue eyes dropped down to her exposed chest, and if Lauren kissing her didnt prove to her the shorter girls sexuality, the way Lauren exhaled and tightened her legs around Amy's hips with her eyes glued to her tits sure did.

With her eyes still on Amy's chest Lauren sat up and tugged the donut shirt off herself before laying back down. Lauren raised and eyebrow at Amy's wideand hungry eyes as she admired the soft perky breasts waiting for her.

"I'm not going to beg if thats what you're waiting for." Lauren said in a clipped whisper while slowly rolling her hips into Amy's abs and smearing her wetness against the woman.

Licking her lips Amy settled her weight on top of Lauren and captured a painfully stiff nipple into her hot wet mouth. Immediately Lauren's hand came to rest on the back of Amy's neck, encouraging the girls ministrations. Amy used the hand that wasn't supporting her weight to explore the insides of Lauren's thighs and brush against dampness. She could feel Lauren's folds through the damp fabric as she switch sides to ravish the other nipple, pulling a groan from the woman under her.

As Amy began rubbing her through her panties with more pressure, Lauren scratched down the muscles of the taller blonde's back. Amy slipped a hand into Lauren's panties and moaned into a nipple when she felt a pool of warm wetness there. Losing focus she pushed a finger into Lauren's entrance and released the nipple with a pop.

Lauren threw her head back once she could feel Amy slide into her. She was biting her lip to try to stay quiet while she felt her muscles relax around the digit. Lauren moved to capture Amy's lips while grinding against the woman's hand to signal she was ready. Amy moaned into the kiss and withdrew her finger to push two in instead. Lauren's response was to suck Amy's tongue back into her mouth and wrap her arms around the girls back for support.

With Lauren kissing her like that, Amy struggled to focus on her rhythm so she started using her hips to press her hand further into Lauren's delicious wetness. Lauren had to stop kissing Amy in order to suck air into her lungs while she could. She could already feel herself nearing the edge everytime Amy thrusted into her. She heard herself pant into Amy's ear and choking on air from her attempts not to moan.

"I'm getting close," Lauren gasped into Amy's ear. She was holding on for dear life as Amy rocked into her again and again. She could feel her muscles strain and demand release as the heat threatened to consume her. Amy licked up Lauren's throat and put her mouth against the shell of Lauren's ear.

"Come on, I want to see what Hester High's Head Bitch In Charge looks like when she's coming." Amy bit into the flesh of Lauren's shoulder and pressed her fingers deeper into the girl.

"Fuck! uugh, you're about to find out." Lauren panted before throwing her head back and opening her legs to take all of Amy in before crashing hard into her orgasm. Amy's eyes opened wide as she watched the girl spasm and gasp while trying to hold onto Amy during the whole process. Once she stilled, Amy slowly pulled out her fingers and wiped them on the sheets of the bed. 

Lauren opened her eyes and saw the look of wonder painted across Amy's face. Amy's eyes were almost completely black with lust and her cheeks were flushed. Lauren stretched out her legs and felt the bones pop before she slotted a leg between amys and pushed into Amy.

"Move," Lauren commanded placing her hands on Amy's hips and pulling her down against her leg. She could feel the slip and slide of Amy's wetness glide on her leg while Amy rutted against her. Soft moans poured out of Amy's mouth as she worked herself toward the edge. Lauren found herself watching the way Amy's body moved against her leg and before she realized what she was doing, she slid her hand into Amy's dark panties and into wet heat.

"Oh fuck, Lauren." Amy breathed adjusting to being filled with Lauren's elegant fingers. Amy started grinding into Lauren's hand with vigor, taking her fingers deeper every time. Lauren watched Amy's flushed face contort as she focused on the pleasure building its way up her spine. Her eyes tailed down Amy's face and onto her bouncing boobs spilling out towards her face. Lauren was intoxicated by the smell of Amy's skin and hearing her name whispered out between breathes.

Lauren captured a warm and soft nipple in her mouth, swirling her tongue around and watching Amy's face for signs of pleasure. A few more slams of Lauren's fingers and Amy was coming hard and fast on top of the other girl. Lauren released the nipple and saw for the first time ever, how relaxed Amy could be.

Amy rolled over onto her back with a sigh and closed her eyes. She couldn't remember it ever feeling this good before with Reagan or Laim. Hell she couldn't even make herself come like that and she spent many hours exploring her body after she came out. A cold chill ran down her spine as reality crashed into her mind. She opened her eyes and looked over at Lauren who was standing up on wobbly legs and looking for her shirt she previously took off. Amy's shirt.

"Um I should go?" Amy mumbled stumbling off the bed and grabbing her clothes off the floor. She just fucked her Step-Sister. How the FUCK did this even happen? "I mean, I don't want your family to see me sneaking out of your room."

Amy was too busy picking up her clothes and rushing excuses out of her mouth to notice the flash of hurt and disappointment in Lauren's face. Lauren remained quiet as she threw on the donut shirt and sat down on the bed facing away from Amy. The taller girl was too far in her own head to even say goodnight as she stumbled out the door and into the guest room that she was staying in.


	8. Chapter 8

It was past noon when Amy finally woke up to her phone going off. She rolled over and grabbed her phone, rubbing her eyes a second to get the sleep out of them to see who messaged her. Her eyes widened at the amount of messages she must have slept through

Karma 5:52am: I know your mom said to give you space but where are you? I haven't seen the car in a few days. Are you okay? Please talk to me.

Karma 6:10am: I promise to leave you alone, just tell me youre okay.

Sean 6:15am: Karma wanted me to figure out where you are. Why aren’t you talking to her? You guys fighting again?

Sean 6:16am: Wait is this about her and Felix at the party?

Liam 10:30am: Hey Amy I know this is weird but could you tell Lauren that I’m trying to get ahold of her? Shes not responding to my texts or calls.

Lauren. Shit! Detailed images of Lauren arching her back with Amy’s fingers deep inside of her flooded her mind. Her stomach dropped and she closed her eyes to fight the feeling that she was going to puke. What did she do? Opening her eyes she continued to read her unread texts.

Lauren 10:36am: Going for a hike.

That text was from a couple hours ago, Amy wondered if she was back yet. She went through all her missed calls. 12 from Karma, 4 from Sean, and 1 from Liam. Putting her phone down Amy stretched and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She made her way over to the shower, paying no attention to a balled up donut shirt thrown on the floor by the bed. She tried not to look at the scratches she knew were on her back, nor did she want to see her shameful face in the mirror.

Amy didnt emerge from the bedroom until around 1 oclock in the afternoon. The children were watching disney movies and eating lunch in the livingroom while the adults cleaned up the house and decided what to make for dinner.

“Hello Sleepy head! Did you sleep well?” Aunt Angie asked while cutting up fruit at the counter. 

“Yeah I slept fine. Where is Lauren?” Amy questioned looking around the kitchen and livingroom for the blonde.

“She’s outside weeding the garden for me. She seemed like she had alot on her mind after her hike so I put her to work. She probably getting hungry, would you bring her this? Aunt Angie asked while holding out two sandwiches and a cup of fruit to the woman. Amy carefully took the plate and walked over to the glass sliding door to her inevitable doom.

The first thing she noticed when she stepped outside was how Hot it was. The second was a sweaty Lauren hunched down in the girl with a pair of shorts on, a tank top, and oversized garden gloves. Amy made her way carefully towards the blonde. “Hungry?”

Lauren looked up at the sound of Amy voice, her face absent of any emotion. She wiped the sweat off her forehead, successfully smeared more dirt on herself, and took off her gloves to grab the plate. Amy stood there for a moment looking at the woman before she sat near her with her head hung low.

“Lauren I’m really sorry about last night. I’m sorry if you feel like I took advantage of you. I can find a way to get home if you want me to leave.” Amy rushed out. She closed her eyes and started to pull blades of grass out of the lawn to try not to cry.

“Do you regret it?” Lauren asked in a quiet voice ignoring Amy’s apology. Looking up Amy coud see the insecurity radiating off the girls posture.

“Of course not.”

“You could have fooled me with how fast you left my bed afterwards.” 

“I freaked out. I didn’t exactly come here to have hot sex with my step-stser. I needed to process it.”

“And how’d that go?” Lauren asked her changing her position on the ground to sit cross legged. She grabbed the bowl of fruit and started eating, placing the bowl in her lap and looking at Amy.

“I ended up falling asleep for 10 hours and woke up to a bunch of texts from Karma and Liam. He’s trying to get ahold of you by the way. So I didn’t really have a chance to process it.” She began to explain. “I’m sorry I left like that.”

Lauren handed over the bowl of fruit to Amy and picked up a sandwich instead. “Yeah well it wasnt the best way to end your first experience with a woman.” She took a bite of the sandwich. Amy felt shame in her gut as she realized how insensative she was to Lauren. This whole thing was probably just as confusing for her as it was for Amy.

Lauren continued to eat while looking at Amy with an unreadable expression on her face. Amy tried not to squirm under the blue eyes, focusing instead and the dirt covering laurens body. Her eyes catching a glimps of a dark maroon bruise residing on Lauren’s neck.

“Lauren, the hickey!”

“Oh my god quit being a spazz! It’s not like your fucking name is on it.” Lauren huffed, handing over the plate with the other sandwich to Amy in a silent command for the woman to eat.

“So what now?” Amy asked with her mouth full, causing Lauren to scowl at her.

“Now you’re going to make it up to me for the way you left by helping me weed this damn garden. Then I’m going to shower and take a nap before dinner.” Lauren stated turning over to continue working on the garden with a flip of her pony tail.


	9. Chapter 9

Things were surprisingly easy after their talk. Amy helped her finish clearing out the weeds in the garden and didn't see Lauren until dinner time. She poured Lauren a glass of wine at dinner and listened to the stories her family told about growing up with Lauren’s mother. There was no awkwardness interacting with one another, neither one of them daring to bring up the night they shared. Amy continued to ignore that topic just like she continued to ignore her phone going off on the nightstand.

Amy had been with Lauren’s family for a little over a week now without anymore incidents between her and Lauren. They still spent a lot of time together during the BBQ’s, pool parties, and card games with the family. She even convinced Amy to go on a hike with her one morning. Of course there was still some heated looks thrown at each other. On more than one occasion Amy was busted staring at Lauren’’s ass by the shorter girl, just like she noticed how Lauren’s eyes would always trail down to her chest whenever she wore a low cut shirt. They were both teenagers after all.

It seemed as if there was an unspoken agreement between the girls to forget that it ever happened. Or at least that's what Amy thought as she quietly watched a movie in the living room so she wouldn't wake up the house. She thought she was the only one awake until Lauren walked into the living room wearing only a bikini like it was no big deal.

Amy’s mouth hung open as she raked her eyes down Lauren’s body in that tight pink bikini. The color almost matching the pink panties Amy peeled down those same legs just a week ago. A rush of white hot heat settled deep in her stomach as she recalled the memory.

“I couldn’t sleep so I’m going to take a dip in the hot tub. You can join me if you want.” Lauren offered walking past Amy to the kitchen to grab something before going outside.

Amy looked back to the TV and tried to get the image of Lauren in that sinful bikini out of her brain. She rubbed her eyes and sighed before turning off the screen and walking to her room to change into her swimsuit. Thankful that Lauren packed all her bags, she did have a swimsuit with her. Slipping on the strappy black swimsuit she made her way through the quiet house and outside to the woman she anxiously wanted to see.

It took Amy’s eyes a moment or two to adjust to the darkness outside but she followed the hum of the water coming from the hot tub. The lights submerged below caused the water to bubble with light. Amy could see Lauren already in the tub with her arms stretched out on the sides and her head thrown back. The glow of the water accentuated the soft lines and curves of Lauren’s stretched out body.

Amy slowly dipped her body into the hot water, releasing a groan as she felt her muscles begin to relax. Aside from a smirk, Lauren made no movements to acknowledge the other woman. The bubbles splashing a little bit of foam up Lauren’s chest, making her perky boobs glisten in the starlight. Harshly swallowing at the view, Amy pried her eyes away and looked at the stars instead. Sitting half naked outside in the middle of the night felt incredibly intimate and freeing. Both girls settled into the gentle humming of the hot tub. Amy was wondering if Lauren fell asleep when suddenly she lifted her head and stared at Amy.

“We leave tomorrow.” Lauren stated plainly. Across the hot tub Amy could see green eyes admire her swimming attire. Lauren licked her lips before continuing. “You’re going to have to stop looking at me like that when we get back.”

Surrounded by darkness and the stars, Amy could feel the arousal settle deep in her bones as she held eye contact with Lauren. “Like what?” Amy asked, pretending not to know what the other girl was referring to.

“Like you know EXACTLY what Hester High’s Head Bitch in Charge looks like when she comes.” Lauren answered, her voice lowering an octave as she spoke. “Like you want to see it again.”

Amy sighed and looked up at the stars above them. “I don’t even know why it happened the first time.” The heat from the hot tub seeped into her sore muscles and relaxed her. She didn't bother looking at Lauren when she answered her rhetorical question.

“Honestly, I didn’t exactly plan for it to happen either. Sleeping with your stepsister is such a cliche!” Lauren huffed, “And it wasn’t even to get back at Liam or anything. It’s just-Karma treated you like complete garbage and I guess I didn’t want your self worth to be tied to that bitch.”

A dry chuckle escaped Amy’s lungs as she lowered her head to meet the girls pale blue eyes. A flash of annoyance crossed the petite blonde’s features and she squinted her eyes to glare back at Amy.

“Seriously Amy, you could literally have anyone you want.”

“Not Karma apparently.”

“See this is exactly what I am talking about! So what Karma didn’t want to spread her legs and open up paradise city to you?! You still got like fifteen years of friendship from her. Plus a bunch of kisses from an allegedly straight woman! You scored Reagan and Sabrina, not to mention whatever ladies you met during that vagina tour you went on last summer.”

Lauren was now widly waving her elegant hands around in the hot tub while she listed off Amy’s partners. A warm and genuine smile creeped up Amy’s face as she watched the girl. “And now you..” Amy said without thinking.

“Exactly, and I don’t just sleep with anyone Raudenfield.” Lauren said while giving Amy a pointed look. “ You’re brilliant and caring. You care more than a normal person probably should in today's world. You’re like stupidly dedicated and loyal! And after what I witnessed, a killer lay.”

“Okay stop!” Amy laughed, “You already got in my pants, you don't need to try so hard.”

“LIke I even need to try.” Lauren retaliated while laughing too.” Are we okay? Things aren’t going to be weird between us when we get back, are they?” She looked incredibly vulnerable as she waited for the other girl's response.

“I mean it was a little weird at first. I didn’t know what it meant, but now I know that it was like a gift.” Amy began, “ It’s like you said back at the club, we’re not blood related or anything.” Shrugging as she said that last part, Amy watched Lauren visibly relax as she digested her words.

“Good because I have every intention on graduating early and escaping the giant shit-pot of drama called Hester HIgh, I don’t need drama at home too.” Lauren sighed and closed her eyes. Laying her head back against the edge of the tub her tiny body began to float a bit, elongating her typically tiny body. Her feet stretched out towards Amy giving a perfect opportunity to tickle the girl.

Lauren yelped in response and splashed hot water at Amy’s chest. Giggling the taller woman exited the hot tub and grabbed the waiting towel on the side of the tub. “I’m going to sleep. I still gotta pack all the dirty clothes before we head back tomorrow, and I don’t want to get bitched at for making us late. Goodnight Lauren.” With a wave of her hand she left the smaller blonde feeling warm and light.


	10. Chapter 10

Once the girl’s bags were securely placed back in the car, they both hugged Lauren’s family members goodbye. Amy was surprised how emotional she got when Lauren’s Uncle Hunter asked her to come back soon and visit again. Lauren took the first shift of driving again only this time there was significantly less awkward silence during the drive, and more laughter and small talk.

Eagar to make it home and sleep in their own beds, the two blondes were making excellent time on their way back. They were about an hour outside of town and Amy was driving so Lauren could apply her makeup up. The situation felt comfortably domestic between the two, although there was a nervous energy floating inside the car ever sense Farrah texted Amy saying Liam and Karma were waiting for them in the driveway. Karma must have felt that it was okay to ambush Amy as long as she had Liam with her as well.

"What are you going to do about Liam?" Amy asked.

"What are you going to do about Karma?" Lauren retaliated with a perfect eyebrow raised.

"I'm going to tell her its over. I don't want her in my life anymore, even if it's only as a friend." Amy said aloud to herself.

"Good. Me too." Lauren spoke as she professionally applied her mascara. A short while later both girls loudly sighed as they turned onto the street of their shared home.

"Ready?" Lauren asked as if they both were about to enter a battlefield. Although Amy thought that depending on how the conversations go, they really might be. 

"Here goes nothing." Amy said pulling into the driveway and parking right in front of Karma and Liam. Putting the vehicle in park, Amy took a moment to look at the odd pair outside. They both looked incredibly uncomfortable standing next to each other in the eventing light. Karma was twisting her hands indicating her uneasiness and Liam just stared straight ahead at Lauren. The pair split up to both sides of the car as the blonde's started exiting.

"Amy!! please don't be mad that I'm here, I just needed to talk to you and you weren't answering my texts!" Karma rushed out while stepping close to Amy. She tried to reach a hand out but Amy was too quick and walked to the back of the SUV before she had a chance to make contact.

"Yeah because I didn't want to talk to you Karma." AMy said matter-of-factly. She opened the hatchback and started pulling out the suitcases and standing them up on the driveway. Amy tried not to focus on Lauren's and Laim's conversation, but judging from the shrillness of Lauren's voice, it wasn't going well either.

"Well, what about now?" Karma asked in a quiet voice. Amy closed her eyes and took a steady breath. It was now or never. She turned to face the redhead and noticed for the first time how different she looked. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair and make up didn't leave the usual flutter in Amy's chest anymore.

"No Karma, I'm done with this." Amy started before Karma interrupted.

"but you don't understand, I-"

"No YOU don't understand Karma!" Amy yelled. "I'm so sick of all this! I don't know what happened to you, but these last 2 years you have been treating me like shit! I know it was a little weird when I came out, but for fucks sake Karma. You keep hurting me over-and-over-and-over again. This isn't the friendship I signed up for anymore. You obviously have some crap to deal with and I can't be responsible for trying to fix it anymore. It's not healthy for me to be around you, I'm done. I got my own life."

Karma was crying and Amy didn't want to see it anymore, so she grabbed her suitcases and walked away towards the house. Liam was no where to be seen and Lauren was waiting at the steps of the house for Amy to open the door. 

"Here, sorry for making you wait." Amy said handing over the keys to the smaller girl. Lauren just nodded and opened the door, leaving it open for Amy. She entered the house without looking back and closed the door on her friendship with Karma.

"GIrls is that you?" Farrah called out from somewhere in the house. Lauren and left their suitcases at the foot of the stairs and walked towards the location of the voice.

"Yeah Mom, whats up?" Amy answered. She entered the kitchen and found her mother and bruce waiting for them. Amy noticed they looked very uncomfortable as well.

"How was the drive?" Farrah asked, ignoring Amy's question. She was standing on the opposite side of the kitchen with her arms across her chest while Bruce walked up to hug Lauren.

"Um, it was fine? What's wrong?" She asked back. Shit, did they know about what happened while they were away? Did Lauren's family hear them and rat them out to their parents?

"We got some bad news girls." Bruce began to say releasing Lauren and walking back to lean on the sink.

"Bruce and I are getting a divorce." Farrah finished for him. The two teenagers stared at them blankly and waited for their parents to elaborate.

"While you ladies were away, Farrah and I talked a lot and we realized that we rushed into his marriage." Bruce explained scratching the back of his neck.

"Even after 2 years we don't really know each other and between work and being a parent, we dont have the time to make this work. We're sorry for bringing you girls through this, we didn't mean to hurt you both." Farrah choked out. Amy walked up to her mother and gave her a big hug to comfort her.

"No Mom, we understand." Amy whispered into her mother's soft blonde hair.

"Yeah it's alright Daddy."

"I'm moving back to Dallas in a couple weeks. Darling I know it's your senior year and you probably want to finish out the school year at Hester soFarrah and I talked." Bruce said motioning over to Farrah.

"You are more than welcome to stay here at the house. I won't be around alot with this big weather project coming up, but if you want you can stay." Farrah said to Lauren while releasing Amy.

"Or I can get you your own apartment until school is done? it's up to you sweetheart."

Everyone was looking at Lauren as she made her decision.

"Can I think about it?" She asked looking at everyone. Both Farrah and Bruce told her to take as much time as she needed to.They excused themselves to go unpack from their trip and get ready for bed. Lauren didn't say anything to Amy before she went to her room and locked the door. She didn't take it personally though, she figured it was just from the shock of the divorce.


End file.
